To Be, or Not To Be
by Penny C1
Summary: My version of Hamlet. Dumbledore dies "mysteriously" and Snape takes his place. Written in play form. I.i-I.ii. please r/r!


A/N: To clear a few things up, I'll be doing about two scenes per chapter. Also, Just so you understand, Snape is King Claudius and Dumbledore is the dead king. I mean, that's what characters they are replacing, if you know what I mean… Harry is obviously Hamlet (duh!) and Ron is Horatio. For the second scene, please do not ask me why Draco and Harry are sitting at the High Table, I have no idea myself. Lucius Malfoy is Polonius, so he's like helping Snape with stuff at the school I think. Draco (Laertes) is Lucius's son, so that makes sense, but as you'll see next chapter Hermione is Ophelia, who is NOT related to the Malfoys… oh well. I'll figure this out someway or another. ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Harry Potter, that job is for JKR and Warner Brothers ONLY. I don't own Hamlet, Shakespeare does… er, did. Now it's owned by umm… Probably some British theater publishing thing. (LOL Kat!)  
  
To Be, or Not To Be  
  
I.i: Astronomy tower, midnight  
  
[enter SEAMUS and NEVILLE]  
  
SEA. Who's there?  
  
NEV. Eek! Who's there?  
  
SEA. Neville?  
  
NEV. Yes! Seamus?  
  
SEA. Neville, you should go. [sarcastically] It's really late, you don't know what dangers lurk here in the astronomy tower.  
  
NEV. You're right. Thanks!  
  
SEA. Good night! And if you see Ron and Dean, tell them to hurry up!  
  
[enter Ron and DEAN]  
  
NEV. Eek! What was that? I hope it's not Filch—  
  
RON. Relax, Neville.  
  
DEA. It's only us!  
  
NEV. Good night!  
  
DEA. G'night, Neville. [exit NEVILLE] Hi, Seamus!  
  
SEA. Hey! Is Ron with you?  
  
RON. Hola!  
  
SEA. Hi, Ron.  
  
RON. So, has this "ghost" appeared again tonight?  
  
SEA. Not yet.  
  
DEA. Ron thinks we're just imagining it, and won't believe Dumbledore would become a ghost.  
  
RON. Only sad people become ghosts. Dumbledore wasn't sad.  
  
DEA. That's why I brought him here, so he can see the third time the ghost appears.  
  
RON. Yeah, right. It's not gonna come.  
  
SEA. Sit down, Ron. We'll tell you what we saw the other two nights.  
  
RON. [sits down] [mock interest] Okay then, Seamus. Go on with your fascinating story.  
  
SEA. [ignores mockery] Well, last night at one o'clock—  
  
[enter GHOST]  
  
DEA. Shut up, Seamus. It's coming…  
  
SEA. It looks just like Dumbledore!  
  
DEA. Talk to it, Ron. You've been in his office more than us. [DEAN and Seamus snigger]  
  
RON. Are you the ghost of our dead Headmaster? Speak to us!  
  
DEA. Aaww, you scared him, Ron.  
  
SEA. See, he's going away!  
  
RON. [to GHOST] No! Stay! Speak to us!  
  
[exit GHOST]  
  
DEA. He's gone.  
  
SEA. So, Ron! What d'you think now? You're shaking… do you believe us?  
  
RON. Now that I saw it, yes.  
  
DEA. And it's come twice before!  
  
RON. That's really strange… [enter GHOST] Look! It came back! Stay. If you can talk, speak to us. [GHOST opens mouth as if to talk] [rooster crowing is heard] [exit GHOST]  
  
SEA. Damn that rooster… It was about to speak.  
  
RON. Hey, we should go. The sun's rising, we might get caught. But I think we should tell Harry; Dumbledore was closer to him, so he might speak.  
  
DEA. Okay!  
  
[exeunt ALL]  
  
I.ii: High Table at breakfast: SNAPE, McGONAGALL, LUCIUS, DRACO, and HARRY.  
  
SNA. [sadly] Let us remember our great Headmaster Dumbledore, and mourn over his death. [to DRACO, cheerfully] So, Malfoy, what's new with you?  
  
DRA. I'm going home to my mother for the next few weeks.  
  
SNA. And your father knows about this? Do you approve, Lucius?  
  
LUC. He pestered me constantly, Headmaster, so I agreed. I hope you shall also.  
  
SNA. Of course you may go, Draco. [to HARRY] Why are you still sulking, Potter?  
  
HAR. [sarcastically] Why, I'm as cheerful as ever, Professor!  
  
McG. I know it's hard dealing with his death, Harry, but everyone dies eventually!  
  
HAR. I know.  
  
McG. So why are you still upset?  
  
HAR. I never had a father, Professor, and Headmaster Dumbledore was so paternal to me. He was always willing to listen to whatever was troubling me- [interrupted by SNAPE]  
  
SNA. That's so touching Potter, but you must understand that… I don't really care. It's almost time for your first class; you should leave.  
  
[exeunt ALL but HARRY] [enter RON, DEAN, and SEAMUS]  
  
RON. Hi, Harry!  
  
HAR. Hey guys! What's our first class?  
  
SEA. Transfiguration, I think.  
  
HAR. Dumbledore used to teach Transfiguration, you know…  
  
[RON looks at SEAMUS and DEAN, and tehn back at HARRY]  
  
RON. Harry, we think we saw Dumbledore last night?  
  
HAR. What!?  
  
RON. Just, listen for a bit, will you?  
  
HAR. 'Kay, just tell me!  
  
RON. Well, for two nights, Dean and Seamus saw Dumbledore's ghost. He had a wand! Then, last night, I went with them and saw it myself.  
  
HAR. But where was this?  
  
DEAN. In the astronomy tower, at midnight.  
  
HAR. Did you talk to it?  
  
RON. I did, but he didn't answer. He was about to, though! But then a rooster crowed and he vanished.  
  
HAR. That's weird… you say he had a wand?  
  
SEA. Yep.  
  
HAR. And you're going tonight?  
  
SEA. Yep.  
  
HAR. I'll come with you. Maybe he'll appear again tonight. Let's leave between eleven and twelve. We can go under my Invisibility Cloak. [exeunt RON, SEAMUS, and DEAN] A ghost with a wand? That's really strange… Something's not right.  
  
[exit HARRY]  
  
  
  
A/N: Yay! I did it! Wasn't that horrible? Yes, I know… I try though, you know! And, if you're wondering, even though McGonagall is playing Queen Gertrude, she is NOT married to Snape. Bleah! Gross! No way! Enough of that… and PLEASE don't ask me why Harry and Draco are at the High Table, I'm still asking myself that. I don't need anyone else to. Let's just say, it works better for the story that way, k? 


End file.
